After a nine-year association with GVK-EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute) to provide emergency medical response service through 108 Arogya Kavacha ambulances, the State Health Department has terminated its contract with the company citing irregularities and violation of tender conditions.
The department has invited tenders for a new service provider. The last date for applying is September 9.
In the termination notice dated July 14, Health Commissioner Subodh Yadav has pointed out that the company “mismanaged the services” and there was a delay in provision of medical aid to people. The notice said this defeated the very purpose of running the service.
However, the company has to continue providing services till October 13, which is when the three-month notice period ends.
Shalini Rajneesh, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, said there were several complaints from people on ambulances not being sent and calls not being attended to.
“The management was warned several times to improve its service delivery by ensuring timely maintenance of ambulances and clinical equipment. There was also a lot of unrest among the employees because of a whimsical HR. Many employees went on strike and were terminated from service for trivial reasons,” she told The Hindu.
“Moreover, the conditions of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) such as GIS tracking, skill upgrade, networking with government hospitals, and generating awareness among the public about 108 were not fulfilled as per the timeline prescribed. The malpractice of taking patients to private hospitals even when treatment was available in government hospitals was also detected and curbed,” she said.
R. Narayan, Deputy Director, EMRI, said the department has solid evidence to prove the company had submitted bogus claims. The charges were probed for over six months and it was found that the company had indulged in gross violations of tender conditions, he said.
Resignation and denial
However, Abhinav Jayaram, State head of GVK-EMRI, who resigned from the company on Friday, denied the charges. He said the government’s move was only “aimed at bringing all ambulances under one head” and not the consequence of irregularities.
The government had entered into an agreement with GVK-EMRI in 2008 for a period of 10 years. Apart from the 711 Arogya Kavacha ambulances, there are over 800 ambulances attached to government hospitals. All these ambulances will be merged and brought under the Arogya Kavacha service.
“This will ensure that one ambulance is available for a population of 42,000. Till now, one ambulance has been catering to 92,000 people,” Dr. Narayan said.
On Friday, the tenders were uploaded on the government’s e-procurement portal. “We are also looking at global bidders or a consortium of Indian and foreign companies. Apart from national newspapers, the tenders will also be published in the Indian Trade Journal,” he said.
Terminated employees to be taken back
The new service provider will not just have to continue with the existing employees working for 108 Arogya Kavacha, but will also have to take back those whose services were terminated by GVK-EMRI in 2016 for trivial reasons.
“A thorough background verification of the employees will be done and those with criminal cases against them will be kept out,” said R. Narayan, Deputy Director, EMRI.
Although the company had been asked to take back the terminated employees in April itself, the direction was not followed.
Meanwhile, a report on the irregularities under the company will be submitted to Health Minister K.R. Ramesh Kumar, and based on this a decision to initiate penal action agianst GVK-EMRI will be taken, Mr. Narayan said. The action may go up to blacklisting.
